Vintage sports cars enter the Andretti Hairpin at Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca. Photo by Thomas A. DeMauro.
It’s no secret that the relationship between Monterey County and the Sports Car Racing Association of the Monterey Peninsula (SCRAMP), the organization that built Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca in 1957 and has run the track since, has been less than harmonious in recent years. In 2015, the county solicited bids from outside vendors to take over track operations, despite an open proposal from SCRAMP dating to 2014. Last week, SCRAMP announced the appointment of a Board of Governors, but is this change in management enough to satisfy Monterey County for 2016, and potentially beyond?
In late December, Monterey County advised the track it was ready to negotiate a short-term deal governing operations for the 2016 season. As the Monterey Herald reported on December 23, one stipulation was that the track grant a non-voting “advisory seat” to a Monterey County representative, yet the newly appointed Board of Governors lacks county representation. Instead, the new board consists of three existing officers from the previous board, along with four new members from the local business community.
While that might be perceived as a slight by the county, it’s simply a step in the evolutionary process of SCRAMP. As track PR Manager David Hart explained to us, the intent was always to get the new board seated first before entering into any negotiations with the county, and now that this has been finalized, the dialogue between the two parties can proceed. The goal is to hold the initial meeting between the new SCRAMP board and the county by the end of January, 2016, at which time the issue of county representation on the board will be discussed. For its part, the county held its sixth (and final) community meeting on Thursday, January 7, and is now in the midst of preparing a Request for Proposal (RFP) for ongoing operations of Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca.
The new Board of Governors will be responsible for financial oversight, as well as short and long-term planning for the facility. The newly renamed Race and Events Board will be tasked with overseeing the track’s five main annual motorsport events (the Continental Tire Monterey Grand Prix, the FIM World Superbike Championship, the Rolex Monterey Motorsport Reunion, the Mazda Road to Indy, and the Pirelli World Challenge), including admissions, camping, communications, concessions, registration, governmental affairs, guest services, hospitality, information technology, medical, paddock operations, race operations, site development, transportation and vehicle control.
One point of contention between SCRAMP and the county has been the track’s financial performance, particularly in recent years. Last June we reported that International Speedway Corporation (ISC), the NASCAR subsidiary charged with track management, had been brought in by Monterey County to evaluate a takeover of the storied road course. After a lengthy process of due diligence, ISC opted not to submit a bid for ongoing track operations.
SCRAMP has been running the track on a month-to-month basis since 2014, so even a short-term, year-long contract between the organization and the county is a step in the right direction. Will the changes to SCRAMP’s management be enough to appease the county on a longer-term basis, or will a new entity be tasked with making a profit at Laguna Seca from 2017 onward? That all depends upon the content of, and the replies to, Monterey County’s RFP.
UPDATE (12.February 2016): Mazda Raceway Laguna Seca has scheduled a “Community Partner Summit” on Friday, February 19 beginning at 8:15 a.m. The event is intended to give area residents, businesses leaders and county officials an overview of the economic impact the facility has on Monterey County.
